Last post, we shared with you what Brewerkz’s founder, Devin, feels about his people and the satisfactions that, bar manager, Erwin gets from his job. Remember we also shared with you our story on how we met Brewerkz virtually?

We met the team behind @brewerkz and boy, it felt like a high school reunion! They are exactly the same as they are on twitter, if not, friendlier! It was really nice bringing our virtual friendship to reality, we also met up with regular tweeps (people who tweets) like @vixlew, @danielgoh, @inrsoul and @thelensmen. We had a tweety good time! They shared with us how twitter has helped them foster good customer relationship and how it brought in new customers too.

A pretty good way to extend service isn’t it?

Besides being on facebook, the service squad is also busy hanging around over at twitter, listening to conversations and joining them. We found @brewerkzsg and had a good chat with them virtually! We decided to take this chat further and next we know, we met the bubbly team behind @brewerkzsg!

 Other than being a great place to get a taste of their handcrafted premium beers, Brewerkz also have some special recipe for the way they treat their staff. We had a chance to speak to Managing Director, Devin Otto Kimble and the man behind the bar, Ireewin Rahman about what service is to Brewerkz and how they go about maintaining good service and their staff!

Hmmm, perfect weather to warm up with some beer!

We have been talking a lot about service being a two way street and how we, as customers, should be appreciative of our service staff and vice versa. Have you ever met service personnel that have gone the extra mile for you? Or someone that made an impression so deep, you feel like you have to let everyone know? Here’s your chance to do it, the service squad was just browsing through sites that talks about service one morning and we came across this site.

The Singapore Experience recognizes the best experiences in Singapore and we realized that they recognize Customer Service providers from these sectors: 

·           Food & Beverage

·           Hotel

·           Nightspot

·           Retail

·           Tour Guiding

·           Transport (Taxi)

·           Visitor Attraction

 These are just about the people we meet everyday, isn’t it? So, if there’s someone on your mind right now, go to http://singaporeexperience.com/nominate?target=cs and start nominating! Nominations are open to public from 1st June to 30th June!

In previous entry, we shared with you that Fazillah has held her fort in McDonald’s for seven years. We got a little curious and decided to find out what is it about McDonald’s that kept her going.  

It’s an undeniable fact that McDonald’s is a part of most of our childhood memories; the birthday parties, the happy meals and not forgetting the toys that came along with it! Definitely a novelty back then! We spoke to the Market Manager, Head of Operations, Ms Janita Lau and found out that McDonald’s really values each and every one of their staff and they have ample opportunity to develop and hone their skills sets.

Darren, 17 year old, also shared with us the things he had learnt over the three years working at McDonald’s and how it helped him in his course of study. On our part, it’s really interesting to find out things we never knew about the place we grew up with.

They are certainly more than just burger and fries

Twitters, this time round, we are giving out a pair of Mc Chickens and we have 25 pairs to giveaway so tweet us now in the following format:

“A customer shld …. #aybs”

First tweet, first served basis, while stocks last, limited to one pair per twitter account, we have to share the love!

Tweet us now!

Our areyoubeingserved.com.sg has a fan page on facebook and we are actively engaging different service personnel and the general public from all walks of life. We currently have almost 600 fans!

Meet Nur Fazillah, 22 years old, who has been actively participating in our discussion and sharing her insights. Through facebook, we found out that she works for Mcdonald’s Tiong Bahru Plaza and has held her fort for seven years! We have to meet this girl!

Upon our first meeting and finally putting a face to her cyber profile, we are swept away by her fervor for the service industry! It seems as though it was an inborn thing for her to be in this line. 

Watch the video and be swept away too by her bubbly and optimistic nature! You go girl!

Yes, we have 50 Mc Chickens to give out to our fellow twitters, first-tweet, first-served basis! In the following format, tell us 2 things that you will do or have done to show your appreciation to your favourite service staff

“I will… #aybs” or “I have… #aybs”

Tweet us now! Till we give out our 50 Mc Chickens!

Congratulations! The three of you are going to Jack’s Place!

Here’s their tweets that won us over! 

“@jillianyue wrote: @servicesquad they should have patience, respect and portray their passion for the service industry that’s the ideal #aybs

@Stpl88: @Servicesquad my favourite service staff is one who’s friendly, observant and empathises. Friendliness always make one come back for more, observant so that customers will feel good when all their requests are being attended to and always empathise and think in the customers’ shoes so that customers will be happy that he is being understood and his needs are being catered to.

@Evanezer: @servicesquad my ideal service staff anticipates my needs, remembers me, smiles, jokes, Willing to share his knowledge & recommend new stuff ”

Keep watching us, yes? We have something very exciting coming up in our next entry!

As customers, we are usually quick to observe how we are being treated and spoken to by service staff. But have you ever wondered what kind of customer you are? We decided to turn the tables on ourselves this time – see if you can identify yourself in any of these examples!

We came across something interesting from a book titled, “Wow! Giving Your Customers The Wow! Experience® To Grow Your Business”  by Mr. Bentley Williams and thought it would be nice to share it with you.

“The Wow! Boomerang” says, what you give, comes back to you.

 “If you want a Wow!, you will also have to do your part. If you are nasty and rude to the service staff, it is humanly very difficult for him or her to delight you genuinely. But if you show that you appreciate them and are grateful to them, well it comes back in big ways. I call it the Wow! Boomerang.

I’m not saying that you have to go out of your way – all it takes is the simple Ps and Qs – your “please” and “thank yous”. Treat the other person as a fellow human being with feelings…” 

 What an appropriate analogy, Boomerang, a throwing wooden stick that returns to its point of origin when thrown. Isn’t this the most perfect way to say that Service is indeed a two way street?

1. decantre wrote: @Servicesquad cust appreciation when I treat them with respect and is patient on their busy days #aybs 

2. hitandrunstud wrote: @servicesquad cust appreciation is when you walk out of long Johns (silvers) and ring the bell so loud you would think Santa is here 

3. cheryloon wrote: @servicesquad cust appreciation is showing respect to serving staff n putting yourself in their shoes. #aybs

4. iamverynice wrote: @servicesquad cust appreciation is when I personally thank the wait staff /manager and tell them I’ll be back! #aybs

5. iamckris wrote: @servicesquad cust appreciation is when I share my bday cake to the awesome service crew!! #aybs

And the winner goes to……. @cheryloon and @decantre ! Congratulation ladies, you are going to Suan Thai! Let’s hear what Mr. Bentley Williams have to say about the winning tweets!

“When we empathize, we tend to understand better what they feel and go through. That causes us to have a sense of appreciation and show gratitude on saying ‘thank you and addressing them by their names.”

We are still receiving tweets for our Jack’s Place post, keep them coming in yes?

Love,

The Service Squad

It was a warm and humid evening, and while looking for a place to chill and escape from the heat, we spotted Jack’s Place. The Jack’s Place we used to know has really spruced up – the outlet at Marina Square even has a bar which screens soccer matches!

The staff were really polite and tended to us promptly and with big smiles. One of the staff we chatted with started off as a waitress there, and she is now an assistant manager! The most heart-warming part was hearing that she loves her job because she enjoys meeting people – she even has regular customers who come back and request specially for her! Watch the video to hear more of her story!

Yes, we have to spread the love! Twitters, talk to us! Tell us 3 qualities that your ideal service staff should have and why, be as creative as possible and you will walk away with a $30 Jack’s Place voucher! We will pick 3 winners this time round so what are you waiting for? Tweet us now!

-         Multiple entries allowed

-         We will stop receiving tweets on the 19^th of May

-         Tweet @servicesquad now!

Here’s what he tweeted, “Service is to let customers feel beyond satisfied and to brighten their day with a smile and it comes from the heart” and here’s what Mr. Bentley Williams have to say about  the winning tweet!

“What’s Service? Service is basically helping another human being, making her comfortable, making it convenient, helping her/him make the right decision… The list goes on. It’s about treating the customer as a fellow human being with feelings.”

Thank you, Bentley and twitters for your participation, keep up the conversation over at twitter and don’t miss our next giveaway! See you over at @servicesquad!

It was a Monday afternoon and the Service Squad was craving for something special, something that will trigger our taste buds. We spotted a Thai restaurant around the corner of Killiney road, exactly what we were looking for!

Suan Thai, translated, means Thai Garden, true to its name, the restaurant was decorated with greenery, potted plants and flowers. Glad that we found a place to hide from the scorching sun, we flipped over the menu, woah, cuisine from the north, south, east and west of Thailand!

The operations manager, Paul, has a strong personal belief when it comes to service; service from the heart no matter how tough the situation can get. We had a chance to speak to him and we are infected by his enthusiasm!

Once again, the service squad is going share the love, twitters, talk to us! Share with us what customer appreciation is all about! Tell us how do you show appreciation to good service! We have a pair of $50 Suan Thai vouchers to be given away and we will pick two winners this time! What are you waiting for? Tweet us now!

Share with us in the following format:

-         “ Cust appreciation is when ….. #aybs”

-         Multiple entries allowed

-         We will stop receiving tweets on the 12^th of May

-         Tweet @servicesquad now!

What creativity our twitter followers have! We posted a question last week, if you missed it, here it is:

Service is …. #aybs  
And here are some interesting ones that we’ve received:
 
heartslishan said:

@servicesquad Service is providing the best you can n being happy with what you’ve done so that it can bring happiness to others too! #aybs

CalvinTimo said:

@servicesquad Service is to let customers feel beyond satisfied and to brighten their day with a smile and it comes from the heart. #aybs

MTw1tter said:

@servicesquad Service is without artificiality #aybs

avnjl said:

@Servicesquad good service is covering your ass and not be politically correct at the same time. #aybs

clauds said:

@Servicesquad Service is when you treat people the way you them to treat you!

hitandrunstud said:

@servicesquad service is a sunny smile and warm heart – a great way to start! #aybs

Decade78 said:

@Servicesquad Service is best served warm #aybs

cl0udi3 said:

@Servicesquad Service is when u think like a customer and not just about urself #aybs

sasumana said:

@Servicesquad Service is best when both provider & customer smile together #aybs

What a tough decision! Well, if you are wondering, yes, we are still receiving tweets till the 5th of May, keep them coming!

The ServiceSquad personally feels that Service is like a full course meal. You are intrigued by the appetizer, blown away by the main course and are locked in with the desserts.

You serve the appetizer when you try to attract new customers, if they are interested enough with what you have to offer, they will stay for the main course. Next, you serve the main course, hoping to satisfy the customers’ basic wants and needs. However, it does not just end there. To retain customers’ interests and keep them coming back for more, you got to top it off with the dessert! This is like going the extra mile to exceed the customer’s expectations!

We came across something interesting, Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) results for the Retail and Info-Communication sector. The study is conducted by the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU based on surveys and face to face interviews with customers.

We read an article written by Jaslene Pang for The Business Times on the 29^th April,

“The drop in satisfaction in the info communications sector was reflected in falls of 1.9 and 1.6 points for mobile phone and Internet service providers respectively.

The study also showed the number of unhappy customers in the info communications sector, at 6.3 per cent, was more than double that in the retail sector, at 1.5 per cent.

Among unhappy customers in the info communications sector, 5.6 per cent did not complain, compared with 2.9 per cent in the retail sector, because it was either too difficult to complain or there was no point in complaining.

This reflected a lack of confidence in companies’ systems to perform service recovery. The study also found that such customers had much lower loyalty scores.

ISES suggests that companies implement effective feedback channels, such as having a phone number to handle complaints, and implement comprehensive service recovery procedures.

ISES academic director Marcus Lee said: ‘For companies to remain profitable, customer expectations, perceived quality and perceived value all need to be purposefully designed and managed. And the first step to doing this well is for a company to understand the requirements of its target consumers.’

ISES director Caroline Lim said: ‘Effective complaint handling has consistently come up across several years of CSISG measurement as an important take- away for companies and businesses.”

Looks like there’s room for improvement in the Info-Communication sector. After all, it’s all about customer loyalty, isn’t it?

“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for life.” As old as this saying can be, the ServiceSquad had a chance to grasp the essence of this saying. We were just googling on some baking classes to attend and we were “wow-ed” by what we found. So, we decided to head down to check Caffe Pralet out.

Caffe Pralet is an offshoot of a cooking and baking school, both stationed next to each other at a quiet corner of Eng Hoon Street. In the café, they sell 80% of what they teach to their students because Judy, the principal chef, strongly believes in sharing the secrets of cooking and baking. Caffe Pralet also prides itself in making healthy fresh bread with no chemicals and preservatives.

We were swept away by the different kinds of bread and pastries that were on the rack and were longing to taste each and every kind. But being girls, we decided against it. 

What struck us most is the personable service that Caffe Pralet provides, where the management encourage service staff to treat others the way they would like to be treated. Being a small, ‘family-run’ business, most of the service staff end up befriending their customers and give them a warm welcome!

Part 1

Part 2

Now, after raving so much about it, we HAVE to share the happiness. Twitters, we have a $20 Caffe Pralet voucher, all you have to do is to watch the video, complete the following sentence and talk to us via twitter, @servicesquad, and you can head down to Caffe Pralet to try them out!

Follow the following format:

@servicesquad Service is ….. #aybs
Be as creative as you can, we can’t wait to hear from you! The ServiceSquad and Mr. Bentley Williams will be handpicking the best entry,  We will not consider tweets received after the 5th of May, what are you waiting for?

Passion, a big word there. Is it enough to just have passion?

Remember the articles we blogged on “The one day service staff” ? Ms Fong, a freelance writer who wrote back to the Straits Times in response to those articles, mentioned that proper training is sure to be the icing on the cake for good service.

Well, I suppose passion is definitely a fundamental in the service industry; top it up with adequate training and it will be the perfect combination. We wouldn’t like a deadpan service staff like Carol Beer, a character in Little Britain, would we? Well, she sure is funny though!

Here are some thoughts on Passion shared by Mr Bentley Williams, Principal Consultant, Bentley Williams Consulting:

Are you passionate about what you do? Are you passionate about people? Does time fly at your workplace because you enjoy your work. Someone once said, ”If you love your job, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” You’ll just continue to excel when you enjoy what you do because you’ll constantly read in that area, talk to people about it and constantly seek ways to improve the way you do it.

You’ll also be able to ride the negative tide and won’t be bogged down by it. You’ll see them purely as challenges and will make the effort to counter and learn from them.

And yes, it’s contagious. Those around you can just feel it and they’ll catch the virus too! No masks sold in the pharmacies can prevent this!

Search your heart today and ask yourself, “ Am I passionate about what I do?” “What is my passion?”

After the hustle and bustle of international cuisines, the ServiceSquad is finally back to our Asian roots. Over the weekend, the ServiceSquad had the chance to pop by Xi Yan Private Dining. True to XiYan’s core values of dedicated service, we were spoilt silly by their devoted attention. 

Having spoken to them, we realized that Xi Yan prides themselves on dedicated and personalized service. While we were there, we spotted an interesting menu card that was specially designed for the group that was coming by in the evening. It is also Xi Yan’s culture to customize the dishes on the menu according to their customers’ preference and sometimes, it happens on the spot! We were also impressed by the skills needed by the staff in their jobs, and they really need to think on their feet! 

  Enough said, we will let the video do the talking, we know you can’t wait to find out why.

The Servicesquad chanced upon an interesting recipe for service and decided to share it with our fan on facebook yesterday. This sparked off a healthy discussion! Thank you Michael, Mischel, Gloria, Fazillah and Rachel for sharing with us! As for the rest of you, if you missed it, here’s what was said :

We particularly like Miss Fazillah’s recipe and here’s what she said, “it’s a 2 way process, our service + your response = satisfaction & good service.”

As much as good service is important, the responses from the receiving end are a motivation too. It drives service staff to go the extra mile and it feels really good to know that you are being appreciated.

It’s comforting to know that people are beginning to be more appreciative, here’s what we received from our fans over the week via twitter.

 @makedonosweat  said:

@Servicesquad just to let you know I had wonderful service at Marine Parade Polyclinic this morning, thank you to all staff!

And

@triplez82 said:

Thanks to @xjieke for handling all the insurance enquiries. If you want good after service for insurance, he’s the guy.

So, the Servicesquad would like to say that there’s no perfect recipe in the line of service, you give and you receive from the heart! Have you thanked someone today?

Hola! That’s “Hello” in Spanish by the way and yes, The Service Squad was struck by a wave of Spanish fever after visiting Serenity, a Spanish restaurant (obviously).

Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant, known for their authentic Spanish fare, has international service staff from the Philippines, Nepal and India! It’s interesting to see how these cultures blend in surprisingly well with the Singaporean culture. With Mediterranean-style ambience that sets the mood for dinning and catchy Spanish tunes from the live band which get you humming along subconsciously, you are sure to catch the fever that we are still trying to recover from.

Join us as we find out how important service is to Serenity and what motivates the international staff to excel in what they do!

Part 1

Part 2

Hope u got some insights to the life of a service staff and learnt something about the Spanish culture! Muchas gracias! (Thank you very much)

Playing undercover is no longer the job of a detective. Over the recent weekend, some reporters went on missions to better understand the service industry. Oh boy, I hope their legs aren’t aching too much!

Despite being on her feet the whole time, the My Paper reporter (article published on 31st March) who worked for a few hours at the Singapore Flyer, had to maintain her posture and keep up her chirpy voice. Moreover, she realised that the service staff who work there must have Singapore at their finger tips! This is because most of Singapore Flyer’s visitors are foreigners from all over the world.

With language being the barrier, service staff have to be understanding and sensitive to differing needs. It seems that some of the staff at the Flyer are required to learn basic Chinese and Malay. Some even take Japanese classes and other cultural classes! This truly is going the extra mile!

Speaking of language restrictions, it may be frustrating for us as well when we come across foreign service staff who can’t speak fluent English. I am sure the organizations they work for are doing their part to train these staff as well. So, the next time you come across foreign service staff, remember to be patient and realize that they are trying their best to help. If not, take it as a fun game of charades!

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone takes some time to master the art of listening? Another reporter, John Liu from the Straits Times (article published 3rd April) worked as a waiter at Les Amis for a day. In that time, he  came across a waiter, listening patiently to a customer for a good ten minutes before attending to his requests dutifully without missing a single detail! Amazing isn’t it?

We see so much talk about service quality in the newspapers and even on the internet. Recently, I came across a blog http://boo-n-bouquet.blogspot.com that discusses service in Singapore. The good service establishments get bouquets and the bad ones get boos. haha so cute right? It’s heart warming to see people taking interest in the issue and starting their own blogs. Keep at it people!

Here’s a short acronym for all the service staff out there. In times of cold, hard stares, remember to :

M eticulous at all times

I n control of the situation

L ove and passion for the service industry

E ver readiness

Imagine.. the cheese, the bread, the awesome beef patties, the chocolates, the desserts and the coffee… ok now my mouth is watering just thinking about it. What are we exactly talking about? Well, it’s none other than Jones The Grocer.

Jones the Grocer is known for setting the benchmark for premium Australian gourmet food stores. The fusion between a cafe and retail store has excited many Singaporeans as well as Australians, especially those who  feel a little home sick.

The Service Squad decided to pop on down to their newest branch at Mandarin Gallery to see what drives them to provide such excellent service.

Part 1

Part 2

Not bad aye? Authentic Australian Cuisine with a touch of Excellent Service  :) You better believe it mate!

I came across an article in Jobcentral from 3^rd March about 2 Temasek Polytechnic students who went to Maldives for their internships. You can find the article here. The students Joyce Xu, whom I mentioned in the previous post, and Ong Su Lin worked in restaurants at Four Seasons Resorts. Here’s an article in Youth.sg written by Su Lin describing her experience.

How exciting right! I will jump at the chance to work in Maldives! It’s such a pretty place! sighsss…

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/photos/photo_maldives_maldives.html

ok, back to the girls. During the three-month stint, the girls had first-hand experience working in a completely new environment. I heard that some areas in Maldives is not as technologically advanced as Singapore. Hmmm I wonder if the girls got to use MSN and Facebook? Regardless, it must have been an amazing experience eh! Working overseas really changes your perspectives of life and even your attitudes and personality.

The girls said they learnt the importance of continuous learning and being up-to-date in knowledge and skills, which is important in most jobs. They also learnt the importance of taking criticisms professionally. This is especially important in the service industry. When rude customers come in, its important to remember that it’s not your fault and try to be nice to them anyway. So hard though! Kudos to patient and always-friendly service staff!

Which is why Su Lin says that “good service is a two-street”. If you are nice, people will be nice to you. Most of the time at least.

Another thing the girls mentioned was the passion of the service staff in Maldives. Maldives is a tourist destination and the country depends on it for their success. According to the girls, the service staff there really do their best. That’s something we can learn from eh..

Isn’t it interesting that each country has its own distinctive service pattern? I think one of the best service cultures I have seen is in Thailand..the people are so friendly and so polite!  I would say the style of service in Singapore is clearly different, but just as good. Do you have any interesting service experiences from your holidays? Share with us!

Sometimes as service staff you may feel like this…

http://happilymarriedafter.wordpress.com/category/cartoons/

But remember…

Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.